The Story I could Never Write

But it's one of the most important to Write.

I've written 159 short stories and screenplays over 3 years, but there's one story I've never been able to write.

My own personal story.

It's crazy because I'd think I'd be able to write my own story after having written:

• A screenplay about a polar bear detective.

• A short story about pasta giving life advice.

• A limerick about a dot traveling dimensions.

I don't lack the skills. It's being too intertwined with what happened and drowning in noise. I get in my head. Nothing gets written.

But one question, which radiates from remnants of recessed expression, stops me each time: who cares?

Why would anyone care about my story? What makes it interesting to others? What part should I tell?

Every few sentences I'd type would be retracted like a dog yanked back by its leash, so it doesn't run away.

The worst part is I know I can help someone else write their personal origin story, but I can't write my own. Like the Greek myth of Cassandra, knowing the future yet no one believes you.

The curse of knowing how to help others but not being able to help yourself.

The cure to the curse is self-compassion. Talking to myself as if I'm talking to a friend. If I were helping a friend write a story, here's how I'd do it using 3 simple storytelling ideas:

1. 3-Act Story Structure

2. Intention & Obstacle

3. But, Therefore

3-Act Structure: 

When I tell people I started writing fiction in 2020, the most common questions are why and how I kept a weekly publishing streak for 3 years.

To outline my personal story using the 3-act structure:

• Setup: In February 2020, I've wanted to write fiction stories. Ideas floated in my head for years, but I've never written anything before.

• Confrontation:

  • Obstacles: Accountability. Self-confidence, network, personal pressure.

• Resolution: 3 years later, Jan 2023, I had written 159 short stories and screenplays.

  • Benefits of fiction writing.

    • It's turned me into an idea machine and cured writer's block.

Intention & Obstacle

From academy award winning screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin, the idea is simple: 

• Character wants something.

• Put something formidable in their way.

I want to write stories I have in my head.

But I had never written stories before, and who would want to read my stories? I was an engineering student in Ohio, it's not a hub for anything storytelling related. But there was a bigger problem: what do I write? The amount of time I had was lower than my bank account. Balancing college, jobs, extracurriculars, and spending time with friends and family, I'm left broke.

To build my personal story outline further combining 3-act Structure + Intention & Obstacle:

• Setup: In February 2020, I've wanted to write fiction stories. Ideas floated in my head for years, but I've never written anything before.

• Confrontation:

  • Intention: I want to write fictional stories.

  • Obstacles:

    • But I had never written stories before, and who would want to read my stories? I was an engineering student in Ohio, it's not a hub for anything storytelling related. But there was a bigger problem: what do I write? The amount of time I had was lower than my bank account. Balancing college, jobs, extracurriculars, and spending time with friends and family, I'm left broke.

• Resolution: 3 years later, Jan 2023, I had written 159 short stories and screenplays.

  • Benefits of fiction writing.

    • It's turned me into an idea machine and cured writer's block.

But, Therefore: 

“But, therefore” is from the creators of South Park. “But therefore” implies conflict and overcoming an obstacle.

The word “and” implies a continuation of events.

I'll take the outline of my personal story & see if in between the bullet points "but" and "therefore" fit.

• Setup: In February 2020, I've wanted to write fiction stories. Ideas floated in my head for years, but I've never written anything before.

• Confrontation:

  • Intention: I want to write fictional stories.

  • Obstacles:

    • But I don't have time. How do I balance work and life?

      • Therefore: I redefined what stories meant in my mind and wrote shorter stories.

    • But I've never written stories before.

      • Therefore: Fine, I'll do it myself. Learn from the internet.

    • But Who would want to read my stories?

      • Therefore: I emailed my friends PDFs of the story on Mondays.

    • But What do I write?

      • Therefore: Created my own creativity games to quickly generate ideas.

• Resolution: 3 years later, Jan 2023, I had written 159 short stories and screenplays.

  • Benefits of fiction writing. It's turned me into an idea machine and cured writer's block.

I started with a personal story about how I got into fiction writing and wrote 150 stories in 3 years.

A true but boring statement.

Now that it's turned into an outline I can build out into a rough draft:

I've always wanted to write stories. For years, ideas floated in my head, but I never did anything about them.

I had never written stories before. Who would want to read my stories? I was an engineering student in Ohio, it's not a hub for anything storytelling related. But there was a bigger problem: what do I write? The amount of time I had was lower than my bank account. Balancing college, jobs, extracurriculars, and spending time with friends and family, I'm left broke.

But in February 2020, I decide to write fiction.

To fit into my schedule, I redefined what stories meant in my mind and wrote shorter stories. Instead of worrying about the lack of experience, Orson Wells guided me: ignorance is important in the creative arts because you don't know what's possible, so why limit yourself? I chose to write whatever story came to mind. The final obstacle was who would want to read my stories? I opened my phone and texted a friend that I'd send him a story on Monday in his email. He accepted.

3 years later, Jan 2023, I had written 159 short stories and screenplays.

I see life through a storytelling lens. I don't run out of ideas anymore. I have too many to choose from.

Writing and publishing week-by-week has cured me of writer's block and turned me into an idea generation machine.

It's not the best first draft, but it's a start.

If I don't have my own story, I become a part of someone else's. Outlining my own story helped me realize how much of it was under my choice. I wasn't living someone else's life or following the crowd.

I'm just a guy who's had ideas in my head, but I chose to write them.